The Camp

STAGE ONE: Chapter One

“Mom, dad, don’t worry so much! Everyone in the country above the age of 15 has either been through Camp, or is in it right now! I don’t see what the big problem is.” My parents had been worrying senselessly about my wellbeing now that I was entering the Camp – the training program required of everyone in North from ages 15-20. It was where they all went to choose a specialty, which they would then do for the rest of their working lives. Of course, there were always the people that didn’t make it through Camp, but no one really paid much attention to what happened to them…Mostly they received the jobs nobody else wanted. Custodians, bus drivers, servers – all were jobs that only the Un-Specialized perform. The Specialized were doctors, scientists, soldiers, government officials, teachers, and most of the other favorable jobs in society. My parents were both Specialized, my mother a doctor and my father a historian.

“We know, we know, we’re sorry. We can’t help but worry a little, you know that,” Mother sighed, running a delicate hand through her long, thick, dark hair, which was just starting to gray around her temples. She had dark skin, dark eyes, and dark hair – descended from someone called Brazil – what a strange name, right? Father was quite fit for a man of his age and job, but my parents had always been into fitness. In fact, a lot of people in North were because of the activity rules the Camp placed on the Trainees. With curly, brown hair peppered with gray, green eyes, and a light complexion, Father was an attractive man, even by City standards, where many people altered things about themselves to seem perfect. I had always admired the relationship between my parents. Despite their slight obsession with Hard Rock music (which definitely influenced their outward appearance), Mother and Father were gentle towards each other and genuinely loved one another. They fit together well. Where Father was tall and strong, my mother was small and soft. I hoped that I’d find a relationship like theirs in my life.

My own looks seemed to be an even mix of both of them. I had the body shape and facial features of Mother with Father’s smile. My eyes remained a dark shade of green like Father’s with Mother’s brown swirled around the pupils. My hair was long, thick, and only a slight shade lighter than Mother’s, though it curled like Father’s. I was a few measly inches taller than Mother and many, many inches shorter than Father. I had Mother’s singing voice and Father’s intelligence. My style and interests, though uniquely mine, were strongly influenced by both of them. Honestly, I had no idea how I would describe myself to someone who hadn’t met Mother and Father, all I’d done my entire life was compare myself between them and that was that. It made heading off to the Camp both exciting and terrifying at the same time.

“Well…I guess that’s our cue, then?” Father mumbled, pulling me from my thoughts and turning my attention to the large, black bus designed to transport fifteen year olds to their future. Gnawing on my bottom lip, I turned back to my parents and we embraced for one last time before I had to turn and step onto the large vehicle. I had no luggage to travel with, the Camp made sure they had our things transported and ready in our individual dorm rooms before we arrived. When I sat in my seat – a large, cushion-y contraption that I felt like I could sink in – I immediately turned to the window to watch my parents cry and stare at the bus. I couldn’t help but feel bad for them, along with already miss them terribly. Only Stage Ones got to visit their parents, and only once every 3 months. After Stage One, Trainees were forbidden to see their families so that they could focus on Specializing, and once they pass Stage Three, they rarely visit their families before moving on to begin their Apprenticeship. I stared at them for what seemed like a long time before the bus finally pulled forward out of the lot and I stopped being able to see them.

Leaving the town where I’d spent the first fifteen years of my life caused the nerves to rise up and I felt about ready to vomit, but I was able to hold it down, at least long enough to get to the next stop and the next bathroom. That stop turned out to be over an hour away and by that point, I swallowed the vile in my throat and I refused to give up my seat. I’d begun staring dazedly out the window at the town I’d never seen before when I heard someone sit down heavily beside me. I didn’t want to turn to look, but I knew I had to eventually, so I did. A heavy-set girl sat beside me with milk-colored skin and straight, red hair. She wore tight blue jeans and a white t-shirt, much like mine, though my own was a tad ripped up and I’d cut the sleeves off of it a long time ago. Her cheeks reminded me of a chipmunk and her eyes were a brilliant blue, though they were hidden under bushy eyebrows. The combination of her facial features weren’t amazing, but she was quite pretty in a way I’d never seen before.